A focus on small businesses is helping a commercial corridor in Columbia, Missouri thrive.

A commercial corridor along a state highway in Columbia, Missouri has become a model for revitalization after a targeted economic development effort that turned a nondescript strip into a community destination.
Ilana Preuss describes the project, known as The Loop, in a piece for Next City, profiling Carrie Gartner and the Loop Community Improvement District, which spearheaded the project. According to Preuss, the project area “wasn’t downtown. There was no place to hang out. Buildings were pushed back from the road. Traffic was full of trucks cutting through. Sidewalks, where they existed, were cracked and inconsistent.”
Gartner’s strategy focused on anchoring the area with small-scale manufacturing that would draw entrepreneurs without relying on foot traffic. “Second, she figured out how to attract people to the area – to spend time there rather than just driving through. She approached the local electricity co-op about its empty parking lot, organized donations of shipping containers and picnic tables, and brought together 200 volunteers to create a pop-up park.”
The CID also led a campaign to rezone the area to make it more accommodating for the types of businesses coming in. “ The Loop’s strategic focus on small-scale manufacturing businesses and their needs, and extensive conversations with local leaders, to the success of the rezoning campaign in 2021 that approved shared production spaces up to 15,000 square feet.”
Thanks to the focus on amenities that support the growth of small businesses, Preuss writes, The Loop is “becoming a place to stop in, get work done, a place where entrepreneurs from different parts of the city can learn and create together.”
FULL STORY: Turning a Neglected State Roadway Into an Economic Engine

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service